Singer-songwriter Rudolph Isley, one of the founding members of the R&B group The Isley Brothers, has died. Isley’s daughter confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE that her father “died peacefully in his sleep” in Illinois Wednesday morning. He was 84. Although Isley’s cause of death was not immediately available, one person involved told TMZ it’s believed Isley suffered a heart attack.
“He died at his home with his devoted wife Elaine by his side. They had been married for 68 years. Rudolph was a deeply religious man who loved Jesus,” Elaine told PEOPLE, with Isley’s brother and bandmate, Ronald, adding, “There are no words to express my feelings and the love I have for my brother. Our family will miss him. But I know he’s in a better place.”
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Born in Cincinnati in 1939, Isley grew up singing in church and, along with with brothers Ronald (“Ronnie”), Vernon, and O’Kelly (“Kelly”), formed The Isley Brothers in 1954 when he was just a teenager. The group temporarily disbanded just a year later after 13-year-old Vernon was struck and killed by a car. In 1957, the group rebanded with Ronnie as the lead vocalist and relocated to New York City, where they recorded their first tracks, including “Angels Cried” and “The Cow Jumped Over the Moon.” In 1959, they signed a deal with RCA Records, going on to release their first album, Shout!, that same year.
The group, which added brothers Marvin and Ernie and brother-in-law Jasper to the lineup in 1973, went on to release a number of hits over the following decades, including “Twist and Shout,” “This Old Heart of Mine,” “It’s Your Thing,” “That Lady,” and “Fight The Power.” Their song “Congatgious” climbed the charts in 2001 and also crowned the Isley Brothers as being the act with the longest chart span on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart at 42 years, per USA Today. In 1964, the group formed their own record company, T-Neck Records, and recruited Jimi Hendrix to play guitar for their band for a brief period.
Isley left the band in 1989 following their album Spend the Night. He went on to become a Christian minister, according to Isley’s profile on the Songwriters Hall of Fame official website. He reunited with his brothers on a number of occasions, though he was not present when the Isley Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
The Isley Brothers have been nominated for multiple Grammy awards and won the prize for best R&B vocal performance by a duo or group in 1970 for “It’s Your Thing.” In 1992, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and just last year, they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. They received a Lifetime Achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2014. With Isley’s death, the only surviving Isley Brothers are Ronald and Ernie.
